Dye tube



June,10,1969 $.LIVINGSTONE 3,443,597

DYE TUBE Filed April 11, 1967 United States Patent 3,448,597 DYE TUBE Stanley Livingstone, Charlotte, N.C., assignor to EYA- .DUR Products, Inc., Mount Holly, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina 7 Filed Apr. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 629,959

Int. Cl. D06f 17/00 US. Cl. 68-198 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to tubes for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound.

It is a primary obect of the invention to provide a dye tube in which the contact area between the yarn and the tube surfaces is minimized, and the dye saturation of the yarn is maximized, while at the same time providing a tube that is structurally strong to withstand repeated use, is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and convenient to use. Other objects are to provide such tubes that can easily and quickly (and even automatically) be stacked around a dyeing spindle, well sealed to each other, without requiring separate spacers between adjacent tubes, and without overly restricting axial flow of dye between the tubes and the spindle.

In general, the invention in one aspect features a tube having a plurality of bands spaced along its axis and a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to the bands, the bands having a narrow ridge protruding above the main band surface. In another aspect the invention features a tube having a plurality of bands spaced along its axis and a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to the bands, the bands having a reservoir groove extending there/around depressed below the main band surface. In another aspect the invention features a tube having a plurality of bands spaced along its axis and a plurality of uprights transverse to the bands, the uprights providing narrow ridges extending transverse to and above the main band surface. In other aspects of the invention dye tubes are provided having sealing surfaces adjacent opposite ends of the tube, and a stepped inside diameter to ensure sealing alignment of opposing ends of adjacent identical tubes stacked over a perforated dye spindle.

'Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the following description of a preferred enibodiment of the invention, taken together with the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section through 2--2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view partially in section through 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Dye tubes of organic plastic material are stacked end to end on perforated dye spindle 12, and include top and bottom imperforate base portions 14, 16 between which are located 'a series of annular bands 18, and a series of axially extending uprights 20 joining each adjacent pair of bands 18 at six equally circumferentially spaced locations.

Each base portion 14, 16 includes an annular end sealing surface .22, 24 of inside diameter (1%") equal to 3,448,597 Patented June 10, 1969 that of bands 18 and of outside diameter (-2") greater than that of bands 18.

Each band 18 (of overall axial extent) includes a main surface 30 (extending axially .038" from each of the top and bottom edges of the band), a centrally located ridge 32 (of .06" axial extent) circumferentially coextensive with the" band and having its outer surface 33 raised above main surface :30 by .015", and a pair of reservoir grooves 34. Each groove 34 is .03" deep and extends axially .057" in the plane of main surface 30, is circumferentially coextensive with its band, and is bounded by wall 36 of ridge 32 which is perpendicular to main surface 30 and wall 3-8 which meets wall 36 at the base of the groove at an angle of 30.

Uprights 20 have rounded inner surfaces 21 (FIG. 2) and ridges 23 directed outwardly of the tube and terminating radially outwardly of the plane of main surface 30.

Base portion 14 is slightly longer than portion 16 and has vertical ribs 40 equally spaced circumferen'tially around its inner surface, to give the tube an effective inside diameter at one end slightly larger than the outside diameter of spindle v12, thereby aligning adjacent stacked tubes on spindle 12 with adjacent opposing surfaces 22, 24 in sealing relation to each other. Ribs 40 are tapered at ends 41 to slide easily over the spindle, and have rounded inner surfaces 43 to match the curvature of the spindle.

In use, yarn is wound on the tube at a 20 slant. T-he ridges and grooves minimize yarn-to-tube contact and provide high dye saturation of the yarn. Dye can flow axially between spindle 12 and tube 10 between ribs 40. Surfaces 22, 24 limit dye flow radially between adjacent stacked tubes.

Other embodiments (e.-g., having differently configured end sealing surfaces, different dimensions, etc.) will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tube for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound there/around, comprising:

a plurality of bands spaced along the axis of the tube,

and

a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to said bands,

said spaced bands and uprights defining a plurality of dye openings through the tube,

.said bands having a narrow ridge protruding above the main surface of said band and at least one reservoir groove extending therearound and depressed below the main surface of said band.

2. The tube of claim 1 wherein said groove is adjacent said ridge.

3. The tube of claim 2 wherein said bands have a reservoir groove on each side of said ridge.

4. The tube of claim 3 wherein said grooves are each defined by a wall of said ridge perpendicular to said main surface and a wall meeting said wall of said ridge at the bottom of said groove at an acute angle.

5-. A tube for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound, comprising:

a plurality of bands spaced along the axis of the tube,

and

a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to said bands,

said spaced bands and uprights defining a plurality of dye openings through the tube,

said bands having a reservoir groove extending therearound depressed below the main surface of said band.

6. A tube for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound, comprising:

a plurality of bands spaced along the axis of the tube and having at least one reservoir groove extending therearound and depressed below the main surface of said band, and

a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to said bands, said uprights providing narrow ridges extending transverse to and above the main surface of said bands.

7. A tube for supporting for dyeing a package of yarn wound therearound and adapted to be stacked in end to end contact with other such tubes over a perforated dyeing spindle, comprising an elongated tubular structure having a wall structure with dye openings therethrough,

a main inside surface of diameter substantially larger than the outside diameter of said spindle,

a secondary inside surface of diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said spindle but smaller than said main inside diameter, said secondary surface having a surface area substantially less than that of said main surface to allow axial flow of dye between the spindle and the tube, and

end sealing surfaces adjacent opposite ends of said tube,

said secondary surface serving to align the opposing end surfaces of adjacent stacked identical tubes in sealing relation to each other.

8. The tube of claim 7 wherein said secondary surface is at one end only of said tube, the major axial extent of said spindle being of the diameter of said main surface and adapted to fit on standard yarn winding apparatus.

9. The tube of claim 7 wherein said secondary surface comprises the surface of a plurality of ribs spaced around the inside surface of said tube.

10. The tube of claim 9 wherein said ribs are at one end of said tube and have tapered ends to slide easily over said spindle.

-11. The tube of claim 9 wherein said ribs have interior surfaces curved to match the curvature of said spindle.

12. A tube for Supporting for dyeing a package of yarn Wound therearound and adapted to be stacked in end to end contact with other such tubes over a perforated dyeing spindle, said tube comprising a plurality of bands spaced along the axis of the tube and a plurality of spaced uprights extending transverse to said bands, said spaced bands and uprights defining a plurality of dye openings through the tube, said bands having a narrow ridge protruding above the main surface of said band, said tube further comprising:

a main inside surface of diameter substantially larger than the outside diameter of said spindle,

a secondary inside surface of diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of said spindle but smaller than said main inside diameter, said secondary surface having a surface area substantially less than 7 that of said main surface to allow axial flow of dye between the spindle and the tube, and

end sealing surfaces adjacent opposite ends of said tube,

said secondary surface serving to align the opposing end surfaces of adjacent stacked identical tubes in sealing relation to each other.

13. The tube of claim 7 'wherein said secondary inside surface is integral with said tube.

14. The tube of claim 7 wherein at least one said end sealing sun-face is an annular surface having its inside diameter less than its outside diameter by an amount greater than the thickness of at least a portion of said wall structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,633,729 4/1953 Slaughter '68--198 3,232,082 2/ 1966 Fallscheer 68-198 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,167,365 7/1958 France.

118,212 12/1926 Switzerland.

WILLIAM 1. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

